Car coupler



J. WESOLIK CAR COUPLER Filed March 1925 H TOE/V5 Y5 Patented Jan. 26, 1926 UNITED sTTEs PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WESOLIK, 0F IBELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY H. GERLING, 0F BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS.

CAR COUPLER.

Application filed March 23, 1925. Serial No. 17,709.

that it will not project forwardly beyond,

the end of the coupler member that carries same, thereby enabling the draw bar to be set in an inoperative position in the event it is desired to have two adjacent cars bump together without causing said cars to be couled.

p Another object is to provide a car coupler, which, in addition to having all of the desirable features and characteristics of the coupler described in my pending application for patent Serial No. 4752 filed Jan. 29, 1925, is equipped with a draw bar whose front end portion can be moved into an inoperative position at times when it is desired to have the coupler members of two opposed cars act merely as bumpers that engage each other when the cars come together.

My improved coupler is capable of use with various kinds of railway cars, but it is particularly adapted for use on mine cars, and other relatively small, lightweight cars, on account of the fact that in operating such cars it is often desirable to have adjacent cars merely bump together without becoming coupled.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical sectional view of an automatic car coupler constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the adjustable draw bar of the coupler.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates two members that are duplicates of each other and which are adapted to-be arranged in opposed relation on two cars,

' as shown in Figure 1, B designates a removable draw bar mounted in one of said members, and O designates draw bar latches on the members A, the latch on the right hand coupler member-serving as a retaining device to hold the draw bar in operative position in said member and the latch on the left hand member A of the coupler member serving as a coupling device which co-operates with a hook or other projection 1 on the end of the draw bar to prevent the draw bar from pulling out of the left hand coupler member. The coupler members A may be of any preferred type or construction, but are herein illustrated as consisting of castings, each of which is provided with a box-like portion 2 in which the latch C is arranged and having a hoLe 3 in its front wall through which the draw bar passes, as described in my pending application, previously referred to.

The draw bar B of the coupler herein shown is of novel construction, in that it is provided with an adjustable front end portion 4 and a means for enabling said front portion to be held in rigid relation and in longitudinal alignment with the rear end portion of the draw bar that is positioned in the right hand coupler member, as shown in solid lines in Figure 1, or swung downwardly into an inoperative position, as shown in broken lines in said figure. When the front end portion 4 of the draw bar is in its operative position, the hook or projection 1 thereon will move into interlocking engagement with the latch C of the left hand coupler member when the two cars that carry the members A come together, thereby causing said cars to be automatically coupled together, and when the front end portion of said draw bar is in its inoperative position the cars can bump together without causing said cars to become coupled, the members A at such times acting merely as bumpers on the ends of the cars. The front end portion 4 of the draw bar can be adjustably mounted on the rear portion of the draw bar in various ways, and various means can be used for holding said adjustable front portion in operative position. In the form of my invention herein shown the front portion of the draw baris pivotally connected at 5 to the front end of the rear portion of the draw bar, and said rear portion is provided with a pair of upwardly-projecting ears or lugs 6 in which a gravityoperated locking dog 7 is pivotally mounted in such a way that the lower end of said dog will snap into a notch 8 in the rear end of the front portion 4 of the draw bar when said front portion. is swung upwardly into the position shown in full lines in Figure 4, thereby holding said front portion in rigid relation with the rear portion of the draw bar and in longitudinal alignment with the same. When it is desired to render the front portion 4 of the draw bar inoperative, the

upper end of the locking dog 7 is pressed downwardly so as to withdraw the end of signed that said rear portion can be slipped endwise into either of the coupler members A through the hole 3 in the box-like portion of said member, and after reaching a certain position in said member, will become locked by the latch C and securely held from endwise movement in the reverse direction, namely, outwardly through the hole 8. Sidewise movement or lateral movement of the draw bar is prevented by the engagement of the rear end portion of the draw bar with a guide 9 on the coupler member, and by a relatively wide, intermediate part 10 on the rear portion of the draw bar that is of approximately the same width as the box-like portion 2 of the member A, said intermediate part 10 being a trifle thicker than the front end portion a of the draw bar, so as to form a shoulder 11 that co-operates with the latch C to prevent the draw bar from moving forwardly out of the coupler member A. that supports and carries said draw bar.

The la ch C, of each coupler member is mounted in the box-like portion 2 of said member in such a way that it is capable of slight rocking movement and is also capable of a slight vertical movement. In the form of n y invention herein illustrated the latch C is provided at its upper end with a horizontally-disposed pin 12 or with trunnions that project outwardly through verticallydisposed, elongated slots 12 in the side walls of the boxdilre portion 2 of the coupler member and is so arranged that it extends transversely of the opening 3 in the front wall of said box-likeportion. To arrange the draw ba B in operative position in one of the coupler members A the rear end portion of said draw bar is inserted in the hole 3" in the front of the coupler member and moved arearwardly so as to position'the rear end portion of said draw bar in the guide 9, the rearward movement of said draw bar causing the latch. C to swing upwardly until the shoulder l1-on the intermediate part 10 of the rear portion of the draw bar passes said latch, after which the latch will swing downwardly into the position shown in Figure 1, thus securely locking the draw bar in operative position in the coupler member. Assuming that the draw bar B has been positioned in one of the coupler members A, and that it is desired to couple the car that carries said draw bar to an adjacent car, the cars: are brought together so' as to cause the front end'p'ortiorr' t of the draw bar to move into operative relationship with the latch Gin the coupler member A on said adjacent' car. During the coupling operation thehook-shaped end portion 1 of the draw bar- 13 will pass inwardly through the hole 3 in the front end of the left hand coupler member A and exert pressure on the latch C in said member in a: direction to swing said latch to the left, and after the hookshaped portion 1 on the draw bar has passed beyond the latch, the latch will swing downwardly into the position shown in Figure 1, and thus prevent the'front end portion of the draw bar from moving outwardly through the hole 3 in the left-hand coupler member. When the carsare in motion the pulling strains are taken up by the latches C of the respective coupler members cooperating with the hook-shaped portion 1 and with the shoulder 11 on the draw bar and with the end walls of the box-shaped portions 2 of the coupler members against which said latches C bear. The front end portion of the draw bar is so proportioned that it can telescope inside of the left hand coupler member A sufficiently to permit the two coupler members to come together with out exerting any strain on the draw bar in the event the cars are traveling down grade, andthere'after, when the coupler members A separate, due to an increase in the speed of the car ahead, there is little danger of the cars pulling apart or separating, due to the fact that the shock or strains on the draw bar are taken up or absorbed by two rugged latches C of relatively great width that bear against flat, vertically-disposed faces on two rugged castings connected to the end sills'or end walls of the cars. The front end portion of the draw bar is of considerably less width than the hole 3 in the coupler member through which said draw bar passes during the operation of coupling two cars together so as to provide for the side sway or sid'ewise movement of one car-relatively to the other and to permit the front end portion of the draw bar toen-ter the coupler member with which. it co-operates, even though said draw bar and coupler member are disposed at a-sharp angle to each other, say, for: example, an angle of 451,

Inorder to lock the latches C. and preill) vent them from moving accidentally out of engagement with the shoulder 11 and with the hook-shaped portion 1 on the draw bar, I provide each of the coupler members A with a locking mechanism composed of a rock shaft 13 arranged transversely of the coupler member in lugs 14 on the top wall of the box-shaped portion 2 of same and provided at its ends with arms 15 that are adapted to be moved downwardly into engagement with shoulders 16 on the side pieces of a bail 17 that is attached to the laterallyprojecting end portions of the pin 12 in the latch C. When the locking mechanism of each coupler member is arranged in the position shown in Figure 1, it will be impossible for the latch C of the right hand coupler member to move into inoperative position, and thus release the draw bar, and it will be impossible for the latch C of the left hand coupler member to move into an inoperative position, and thus permit the end portion of the draw bar to pull out of the left hand coupler member. If, however, it is desired to uncouple the cars, the rock shaft 13 of the left hand coupler member is swung to the right, so as to move the arms 15 out of engagement with the shoulder 16 on the side pieces of the bail 17, after which said bail can be grasped and moved upwardly so as to bodily raise the latch C of the left hand coupler member upwardly far enough to clear the hook-shaped portion 1 on the end of the draw bar. In case it its desired to shift the draw bar from one end of the car to the other end, the rock shaft 13 of the latch locking mechanism of the coupler member that carries said draw bar is swung in a direction to releas the bail 17 of said looking mechanism, thereby permitting the latch C to which said bail is attached to be moved upwardly far enough to clear the shoulder 11 on the draw bar, after which the draw bar can he pulled out of the coupler member.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A car coupling, consisting of two coupler members adapted to be arranged in opposed relation, a draw bar removably mounted in one of said members and provided with an adjustable front portion that can be arranged in an inoperative position, means for holding said front in its operative position, a latch in one of said coupler members that retains the draw bar in same, and a similar latch in the other coupler member arranged so that the front end of the draw bar will automatically interlock with same diuing the operation of coupling two cars together.

2. A car coupling, consisting of two coupler members adapted to be arranged in opposed relation, a draw bar comprising a rear portion and a front portion pivotally connected together, means for holding said front portion in rigid relationship and in longitudinal alignment with the rear portion of the draw bar when said front portion is in its operative position, and a draw bar retaining means on each of said coupler members, each of which is adapted to be used for preventing withdrawal of the rear portion or the front portion of the draw bar.

3. A car coupling, composed of duplicate coupler members, each of which is equipped with a draw bar latch, a removable draw bar provided with a rear portion that is retained in position in one of said coupler members by the latch thereon and provided with an adjustable front portion that is adapted to move into interlocking relationship with the latch on the other coupler member during the operation of coupling two cars together, means whereby the front portion of said draw bar can be arranged in an inoperative position wherein it does not project beyond the coupler member that carries the draw bar, and a means on each of said coupler members for preventing the draw bar latch of same from moving accidentally into a position to release either portion of the draw bar.

4. In a car coupling, a coupler member adapted to be mounted on a car and provided with a box-like portion that has an opening in the front wall of same, a draw bar having a rear end portion mounted in said member, a front end portion pivotally connected to said rear end portion, a hinged latch in the box-like portion of said coupler member that holds the rear portion of the draw bar in operative position, and a locking dog at the front end of said rear portion that is adapted to engage the front portion of the draw bar and hold it in rigid relationship with the rear portion of the draw bar.

JOSEPH WESOLIK. 

